Portsmouth

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Portsmouth boss John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent after Saturday's 3-1 win at Stoke City.

"It was a really impressive performance and a really impressive result, considering the circumstances. I know neither side had anything to play for, but that can always be tricky," he said.

"On the performance as a whole, I was very pleased with [Adrian Segecic] and that's the thing I like to focus on with players.

"He was a constant threat on the right-hand side, and ran in behind very well and looked after the ball brilliantly, which is something we have been really working on and focusing on with him.

"The first finish, with all that time, I was glad to see it go into the back of the net. It was a poacher's finish for the second, and it was a brilliant, typical Adrian Segecic for the third. I'm absolutely delighted for him because he has had an excellent season."

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Stoke will seek to halt their slide down the Championship table when Portsmouth visit on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Potters occupied the second automatic promotion place in late November but have slipped down to 17th, picking up just three wins in their past 18 games.

The four sides immediately above them remain within three points, however.

Portsmouth's survival was ensured on Tuesday night, despite a 5-1 defeat at Coventry, as Oxford's defeat to Wrexham left the Blues safe with two games remaining.

• Stoke City have won four of their past five league meetings with Portsmouth (L1), just one fewer than their previous 20 prior (W5 D8 L7).

• Portsmouth are winless in seven league visits to Stoke (D2 L5) since a 2-0 triumph in February 1995 under Terry Fenwick.

• Stoke have only won their final home league game in two of the past nine seasons (D2 L5), beating Brentford 1-0 in 2019-20 and Bristol City 4-0 in 2023-24.

• Portsmouth have only won their final away game in one of their past eight second tier seasons (D2 L5), beating Bradford City 5-0 in 2002-03.

• Stoke have lost their past two Championship matches; only once this season have they lost three on the spin, doing so from November to December.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

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There will be a time to analyse how Portsmouth can move forward as a football club on and off the pitch. How can they aim higher than battling relegation in the Championship?

John Mousinho was clear that investments are required on and off the pitch when chatting live on BBC Radio Solent this week.

However, for a few days at least it is worth pausing and celebrating Championship survival.

It is a stunning achievement given the circumstances. Huge credit needs to go to Mousinho, Richard Hughes and the playing squad.

Why is it such an achievement? It is down to a combination of factors.

Firstly numerous sources have suggested to me that Portsmouth's budget is the 23rd "biggest" in the division, above only Sheffield Wednesday.

It is hard to know exact numbers but that estimate seems reasonable. Wage bill is the biggest predictor of finishing position in the league. Any time you finish higher than your budget placing in a table should be considered good.

That is before you consider all the injury issues Portsmouth have had this season.

If you had asked me to name the squad's five best players last summer the list would have included Josh Murphy, Conor Shaughnessy, Callum Lang and Colby Bishop.

Murphy, Shaughnessy and Lang have spent much of the season injured with Lang sold to Preston North End in January.

Bishop has not performed anywhere near the levels of last season. If you had told me about these issues last summer, I would have predicted relegation for Pompey.

"Second season syndrome" is a bit of a cliche but teams have been much smarter facing Pompey at Fratton Park this season.

The Blues stayed up because of their incredible home record last campaign. Teams would turn up, assume they could outplay a struggling side and invariably get beaten.

This time sides have realised they need to be more cautious and counter attack at speed. Pompey were never going to match last season's home record but they are going to stay up with a modest points haul at Fratton Park.

Surviving for a second season in a row is not particularly exciting. Climbing the league without increasing the budget will be difficult. Fans want to look ahead to next season with hope.

But it is worth pausing and acknowledging what a fine achievement it is that Pompey will be a Championship club again next season.

Tom Chappell
Portsmouth fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

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The duality of football manifested itself perfectly in Portsmouth's loss at Coventry City.

A jubilant away end watched on as Pompey suffered a 5-1 defeat on a Tuesday night, three hours from home, yet still confirmed their mathematical safety, on the same pitch as a team that in turn won the Championship title with a handful of games to spare.

It was always going to be about what happened elsewhere for Pompey last night, namely the result of Oxford United's game against Wrexham.

When news began to spread of the full-time result at the Kassam, despite having witnessed yet another hammering on our travels, it set off scenes in the away end. None of us had ever been happier with a 5-1 loss away from home.

It points to the bigger picture that Pompey have had so many of these results in them this season, and while confirmation of divisional status is a welcome relief -and, somewhat, an achievement in itself - there is absolutely nowhere to hide for conceding goals against the title winners in the way we did.

The reason it is only 'somewhat' of an achievement is down mainly to two things, although some might not even consider it an achievement at all - more a failure of a season, which would, in turn, have been labelled a catastrophic failure had we gone down.

The first is that this is probably the easiest season you could have wished for to stay up in the Championship for a very long time.

Points deductions for two, and maybe even three teams this campaign, have meant points have been easier to come by against some of the sides down there, albeit also meaning the tally to stay up is slightly and unusually higher.

The second is that Pompey's season this year could have been about so much more than just surviving.

For a number of intrinsic reasons, what this campaign appeared to be after the first international break in September last year, and what it has turned out to be, are remarkably contrasting.

John Mousinho is a miracle worker. He has time and again been sent into battle on the good ship Pompey rudderless and with little to no ammunition, and has somehow emerged from the other side victorious.

There are only so many seasons in which you get away with this, and only so many times you can ride your luck as we have done this year.

Over the summer, the football club must, and I'm sure it will, have a number of sensible, rational conversations about where and what it wants to be.

Could you just imagine what a manager as talented as Mousinho could achieve with the appropriate tools at his disposal?

There is no endless war chest required and that is not what anyone is reasonably asking for.

For the time being, enough investment to prevent yearly scuffles with the bottom end of the Championship, and more regular opportunities to look up more than we look down, would suffice.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel

We asked what you thought of Portsmouth's Championship survival with two games to spare and what is needed for Pompey to avoid another relegation scrap next season.

Here are some of your responses:

Matt: Keeping John Mousinho is a must, he has a good relationship with fans and players. However, we need a big summer signing or two with a striker being a must, as this is where we have failed this season.

Richard: Championship survival achieved 'just' often hides some uncomfortable truths: performance levels, squad depth, injuries, goals scored, and how often results went our way rather than being imposed by us. If two of the three teams below us were docked points, that's a warning signal, not a badge of progress. The big summer issue is backing the manager properly.

Richard H: A huge congratulations to John, the team and, of course, the fans. Pompey have massively overachieved bearing in mind our player budget. With the direction football finances are going I remain grateful that our club is relatively secure, even if we have another fight to stay in the Championship ahead of us next season.

Ian: Was the most deflating way to get over the line but also probably sums up our season. Somehow we found a way and I think this is a greater achievement than last year. Credit to Mousinho and Jon Harley - they are working minor miracles. I really hope they're given more than longshot academy prospects, loans and League One journeyman to build a team from next season. We need to progress on the pitch this summer or it will be more of the same.

Paul: Great team on their day, but they are not consistent. Sometimes they have to play a different sort of game, particularly against top of the table teams. They had better improve for next season else third time won't be so lucky.

Chris: Important that the club continues to invest on and off the pitch, and it will be interesting to see if Anders, Breck and Eric have plans to inject additional funds. The Eisners are rightly focused on sustainability, and the club needs to generate greater income to support this ambition. Fundamentally though, it is vital that the playing budget and recruitment strategy are rewritten to allow us to compete in what will be a very competitive league once again next season.

Richard T: I think it's all about getting the right players in, with the mixture of enhancing the group with their character, commitment, and the courage to play for a shirt that can be weighed down with certain expectations. Do we need to increase the budget? Probably. But please remember back to where overspending nearly cost us the club we all love. We don't want to go back there again, EVER.

Alan: We need to sign quality rather than quantity players who won't keep being injured or unfit after 20 minutes, ie more Adams and Alli rather than Blair and Bianchi. Give young keeper Toby Steward his chance and hang on to our best current team.

Harry: I would say he [Mousinho] has done a good job given the circumstances. A shoestring budget [or the Championship] and the teams that have come up from League One with crazy financial backing, to be where we are is brilliant. Hopefully, with a bit more financial backing next year we can push up the table, bring in some better quality and squad depth.

"Did I say two weeks ago they had a 35% chance of staying up? Don't listen to me...

"You're not going to smile too widely about the game last night, but you should be smiling for the 44 games that got the job done.

"In a period of 11 days Pompey have gone from dropping into the relegation zone until that 97th-minute winner at Middlesbrough to being safe with two games to go."

BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Andy Moon are joined by Jordan Cross of the Portsmouth News to reflect on Pompey securing Championship survival, despite a 5-1 hammering at Coventry, ask how big an achievement is it, and your questions are answered in Moon's Musings.

Listen to the latest episode of Who Needs Mourinho on BBC Sounds

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Never in doubt, eh Pompey fans?

OK, perhaps there was some doubt, particularly after the 6-1 humbling at QPR on 21 March, but a run of 11 points from five unbeaten games after that ensured Portsmouth will line up for a third Championship season in August.

Safety may have been assured on a night when the Blues went down 5-1 at Champions Coventry, but the job was all but done by then, right?

So how are you feeling? Where do you go from here? What will it take to avoid a third consecutive relegation dogfight in 2026-27? Where do you think you need reinforcements? Can you keep hold of John Mousinho who has done such a good job at Fratton Park?

Click here to have your say.

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

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It's not very often fans cheer at the end of a 5-1 defeat, or strictly speaking about two minutes before the end when Oxford's result was confirmed, but the Pompey fans knew the job was done and Championship survival was ensured.

This was a game too far for Portsmouth, and Coventry were just too good.

A huge amount of physical and emotional energy was spent last week, the nine-point return put them on the brink. Wrexham finished the job for them on Tuesday night.

It's a funny old game. If you told anyone after the 6-1 drubbing at QPR on 21 March that Pompey would have been safe with two games to go they would have thought you were crazy.

You might have been, but you'd have been right.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent after their 5-1 defeat at Championship title-winners Coventry.

(On securing Championship survival) "It feels really strange at the moment. It was such a brutal (last) 45 minutes," he said.

"We'd left everything on the pitch over the past couple of weeks and this was one too far.

"I'm absolutely delighted we've stayed up. It's a strange set of circumstances, it does feel a bit weird. But if you had offered me this from any point from October or November onwards I'd have snapped your hand off.

"To stay up with two games to go is a monumental achievement.

"They're the best team in the league by some way. They blew us away in the second half. We couldn't get near them. Thankfully we're not playing them next year."

Tom Chappell
Portsmouth fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

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Albeit not beyond mathematical doubt, with the 50-point mark smashed through on Saturday, three wins in a row in the space of seven days and now five games unbeaten, you'd be forgiven for considering Portsmouth a Championship side for at least another season.

Pompey's nine-point week couldn't have come at a better time.

An explosion of form from absolutely nowhere means that all of a sudden, beating last season's 54-point tally appears plausible. That would've felt absurd just a few weeks ago.

Inside 15 minutes, with both Keshi Anderson and Terry Devlin withdrawn through injury in the 1-0 win over Leicester, two ideal candidates to grab the game by the scruff of the neck were no longer available.

This, twinned with a bitty and stop-start affair, paved the way for a "one moment that wins it" match. And up stepped Ibane Bowat.

Both Regan Poole and Nico Schmid contributed two match-defining blocks, and while Pompey's performance didn't have the splendour of last Tuesday night against Ipswich, both results count for the same number of points - and register equally as significant in terms of survival for John Mousinho's side.

The pressure abates somewhat for Pompey fans, with the expectant champions in waiting, Coventry City, next up. That game would've had an entirely different complexion if Saturday hadn't gone our way.

With hindsight, the international break following the QPR game may well have saved Pompey's season.

A point or two and we could now be over the line with a handful of games to spare.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel

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After securing their first promotion to the top-flight in 59 years, Coventry City will aim to seal the Championship title by beating Portsmouth at the CBS Arena on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

Despite drawing their past three games, the Sky Blues are 10 points clear of second-placed Ipswich following Sunday's 2-2 draw between Town and Middlesbrough, with the Tractor Boys having four games remaining.

Pompey head north on the back of three straight wins, and clean sheets, against Boro, Ipswich and Leicester, which have lifted them seven points clear of the relegation zone with three games to play.

John Mousinho's side would be safe, even with a defeat, should Oxford United lose at home to Wrexham, also on Tuesday night.

• Coventry have won three of their past four league games against Portsmouth (L1), and are looking to complete the double over them for the first time since 2010-11.

• Portsmouth have failed to score in six of their past nine away league games against Coventry, though they've avoided defeat each time they've scored in that run (W2 D1).

• Coventry failed to score in their last home league game against Sheffield Wednesday (0-0); not since November 2023 have the Sky Blues gone successive league matches on home soil without a goal.

• Portsmouth have recorded four wins across their past 10 away league games (D3 L3), as many as in their previous 34 away league games since the start of last season (D9 L21).

• Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante has scored in six of his past seven home league starts (6 goals), only netting more home goals for a single club in an English league season in 2023-24 (8 with West Brom).

Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

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To say a team wanted it more has become very cliched in football, an easy retrospective analysis to say about the team that won.

But it feels relevant. Pompey fought for their lives and it was enough to beat a side that is more talented on paper.

It was a poor spectacle, with Pompey failing to reach to levels of Tuesday's win over Ipswich.

Losing Terry Devlin and Keshi Anderson in the opening 20 minutes was unfortunate and did not help the match find a rhythm.

Before last Saturday, Pompey had not kept a clean sheet since January. They have now had three in a row. They have also scored three times from corners in that time. Football is a game of fine margins.

Portsmouth are not safe yet but it would now take an unlikely sequence of results to send them down. The turnaround since the 6-1 thrashing at QPR has been incredibly impressive. Survival would be a great achievement.

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Portsmouth boss John Mousinho admitted that their win over Leicester was the "toughest 90 minutes" of their three successive victories.

The Blues managed to beat the Foxes to move themselves seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Adrian Segecic found Ibane Bowat from a corner for the game's only goal, sending Fratton Park into chants of "we are staying up" after the final whistle.

"That was probably the toughest 90 minutes of our last three games," Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"It was hugely important and overall we deserved the win, we just had to get the job done because it wasn't a pretty game.

"The start of the game doesn't help with the injuries we picked up with Keshi (Anderson) and that changed the way that we play a little bit as Segs (Adrian Segecic) is a very different player.

"And then with the injury to Terry (Devlin) we had to restructure the back four and nothing got going in the first half at all.

"Thankfully, we had a couple of good chances before the goal and probably could have done better but managed to find the net."

Portsmouth are next in action on Tuesday when they travel to already promoted Coventry City.

Dan George
BBC Sport England at Fratton Park

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While Portsmouth are not mathematically safe, their past three results in eight days have been crucial to their hopes of staying up.

After the draw with Oxford United on Easter Monday, the Blues have gone on to beat Middlesbrough, Ipswich and now Leicester to move seven points clear of danger with just three games to go.

John Mousinho's side were under serious pressure away at Boro a week ago before going on to snatch victory in added time.

They then capitalised in two home games, aggressive in their approach against Ipswich before finding a way to get over the line in Saturday's scrappy affair with the Foxes, who were fighting for their lives.

At a crucial time in the season Pompey's key players have stepped up, Marlon Pack in particular outstanding on the ball in both home wins this week.

The three clean sheets in those games will have particularly pleased Mousinho, whose side have leaked goals for much of the season but now seem to have found a real solidity at an important time.

"I think it will be quite tense at Fratton Park but it is an opportunity for Pompey.

"Win and you feel they are on the verge of safety and I don't think we saw that coming a week or so ago."

BBC Radio Solent's Chris Wise and Andy Moon reflect on a stellar four days for Portsmouth and why their survival hopes are feeling a little less blue as they get ready to host Leicester.

Listen to the latest episode of Who Needs Mourinho on BBC Sounds

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Andrew Moon
BBC Radio Solent's Portsmouth commentator

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It's easy to forget that Terry Devlin didn't start any of Portsmouth's first 13 league games this season. He wasn't injured. Just not selected. Often making late appearances as a substitute.

Since getting his first opportunity against Wrexham on 5 November, he's been left out of John Mousinho's starting line-up just once and that was through suspension.

It wasn't a huge surprise that Devlin swept the board at the end of season dinner, winning men's player of the season, players' player of the season and goal of the season.

Regan Poole deserves at least an honourable mention for a consistent and excellent campaign but the supporters and playing squad were on the same page about Devlin's impact.

The Fratton Park crowd always appreciate committed and tough-tackling players but there is more to Devlin's game than that.

Five goals from right-back is a very good contribution in a low-scoring team. He impacts both ends of the pitch.

This is a player who joined as an attacking midfielder for just £70,000 three years ago. His work ethic and dedication are praised as exemplary behind the scenes.

You don't make the progress he has without commitment and the discipline to live your life as a professional.

Some players may have been knocked off course when Wrexham's transfer interest was rebuffed late in January. Devlin kept his head down and kept working as if nothing had happened.

The rumoured £2m was never likely to be enough for Portsmouth to consider selling him in the window. His value certainly hasn't gone down in the meantime.

Wrexham may come again this summer. There are likely other admirers as well.

Devlin could end up being sold. If he does go, it will be for a very healthy profit after making a key contribution to what Portsmouth are hoping will be another successful battle against relegation.

Portsmouth head into this clash having further boosted their Championship survival hopes with an impressive 2-0 win over Ipswich on Tuesday.

That victory meant Pompey moved four points clear of the relegation zone and stretched their unbeaten run to four games with a chance of making it three wins on the bounce here.

Second-bottom Leicester will be desperate for a win after last Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Swansea.

No wins in five means the Foxes are five points from safety before their trip to Fratton Park, making this a massive game for Gary Rowett's side if they are to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.

• Portsmouth are unbeaten in their past five league games against Leicester (W2 D3), with each of the last three all finishing 1-1.

• This is Leicester's first away league game against Portsmouth since a 1-1 draw in November 2011. Their previous visit prior to that draw was a 6-1 defeat.

• Portsmouth have lost their past two home league games on a Saturday, both by the same scoreline (1-0 v Sheffield United and Hull). They have not lost three in a row since April 2018, when they were in League One.

• Leicester have taken just 13 points from 54 available in the Championship in 2026 (W2 D7 L9) – indeed, only bottom side Sheffield Wednesday (three) have picked up fewer points in the division since the turn of the year.

• Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu has completed the most dribbles (108) in the Championship this season, while he has also been involved in more shots following a carry than any other player (76 – 54 shots, 22 chances created).

Earlier we asked what you thought of Portsmouth's survival chances after a stellar few days which earned Pompey back-to-back wins over high-flying Middlesbrough and Ipswich to move four points clear of the bottom three with four games to go.

Here are some of your responses:

George: Win on the weekend against Leicester and we are safe.

Sarah: It's not done yet! It would be such a Pompey thing to do to beat Boro and Ipswich and then lose to Leicester on Saturday. As a Pompey fan I won't relax until it's mathematically certain we are safe. But given where we were a few weeks ago we've got every chance and it's in our own hands.

Tony: Definitely not done and dusted. After beating Leeds last year Pompey lost to bottom club Plymouth at home, albeit outplaying them most of the game. There are four very tough games coming up, although the last four were also very much in that category. The Championship is brutal, but also the most exciting of all, hence why we need to stay there - if possible!

Ian: I think 52 points (four more) will keep us up for another season and this achievement arguably outranks last season's. We have a weaker squad and a misfiring attack and somehow the team and the manager are finding a way. Sooner or later though, paying League One wages will see you back in that division. I think despite the praise he receives, Mousinho is still underrated - he is working miracles on 45% of the average Championship wage bill. If our approach to wages doesn't change, I think sooner or later we're back in League One and Mousinho is off to a club who will back him.

Andy: I'm delighted with the last two games, it looked like we might need 10pts from 6 games, so now 4 from 4 with 2 of the harder games out of the way. I honestly thought we were down after Oxford but the Championship is a crazy league and Mousinho has the boys fighting for him and the fans, a very good manager. We can't say we have done enough but a win against Leicester may well be.

Elliot: A fantastic few days, we've been great since returning from the international break. But, we're not out of the woods yet! Four points should seal safety. A win against Leicester would give some real breathing space.

Fiz: Super Pompey Staying Up. What a difference players back from injury makes! We have been very unlucky with injuries this season with most of our best players out the majority of the season.

Ray: Just think how good we could be if we could afford some players as backup to a team wracked by injuries each season. When we have just one player out we have to make wholesale changes to the team.

Martin: Three points against Leicester this weekend and we are safe. Wouldn't be surprised if we go unbeaten until the end of the season now - look back in history, Pompey regularly hit 'Championship' form after Easter!

Jo: I had said QPR game was the turning point. 2 wins and 2 draws proves me right. Eisners IN banners then. 6 more points from the final 4 games will do it but more work to do next season as there won't be any clubs deducted points.

Tom Chappell
Portsmouth fan writer from Fournilwrittenalloverit

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You'd be hard pressed to find a better four-day period for Pompey this season.

Albeit still an incredibly tight situation at the bottom of the Championship, to beat two teams back to back, home and away, both with a strong shout of being Premier League sides next season, is as remarkable as it is bonkers.

Pompey hadn't won a league game in eight before Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough.

Fratton Park hosted what ended up being an incredibly consequential night at both ends of the division last night. By quite some way, our best performance of the season.

The implications of our two results since the weekend are enormous internally - and for a group of players who were completely on the floor just a few weeks ago at Loftus Road, this week is a confidence boost which comes just at the right time.

The back four were monumental, a vintage Marlon Pack display, and the best we've seen from Millenic Alli since his first three games here.

Pompey did what we've struggled to do all season in the first half. A gripe that has underpinned our campaign has been leaving points out on the pitch. Time and again John Mousinho's side have struggled to net gilt-edged chances, and ended up paying the price in defeat. Last night, Pompey went in two goals ahead, having put two of our four big opportunities in the back of the net.

That set the tone for an accomplished second-half performance, and, despite some of the most talented players at this level being sent on by Kieran McKenna, Pompey's clean sheet felt threatened on only a handful of occasions.

Cruising to a 2-0 victory against the division's second-placed side is sensational.

A win against Leicester on Saturday and Pompey can all but consider themselves a second-tier side next season once again.

Find more from Tom at the Fournilwrittenalloverit, external YouTube channel